Buddyflies
by Tess84
Summary: Post Nesting Dolls. Sara left Vegas over three years ago. Why did she leave, and will Catherine be able to convince her to come back? No, the title is not misspelled, you'll get it eventually.
1. 1 Good morning, Sunshine

Summary: Post _Nesting Dolls_. Sara left Vegas three and a half years ago. Why did she leave, and will Catherine be able to convince her to go back?

AN: I'm probably messing with the time line a little, but you'll just have to deal with it. This chapter has not been beta'd because I don't have a CSI beta. If anyone's interested, let me know. I hope you like the story, and that you let me know if you do!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything connected to CSI… except the first season on DVD, but I don't think that counts.

**1 – Good morning, Sunshine**

As the morning light slowly woke her, Sara stretched out in the bed, enjoying the feel of the sunrays on her body. Looking over at the alarm clock next to the bed, she noted that she still had twenty minutes before her alarm would go off. She loved mornings like these, when she had a few moments to herself. Especially today, since it was a special day.

As she lay there, she began contemplating her life. Or, at least, her life so far. Some time ago, Sara had realized that she had started counting days instead of weeks, months and years, when it came to the important things in her life. She didn't know why, just that she prefered it.

One thousand, three hundred and sixty. That was how many days it had been since that day in Vegas, the day that had changed her life on so many levels.

xxxxx

"_Do you think there's a murder gene?"_

_He looked at her a moment before answering._

"_I don't believe that genes are a predictor of violent behavior." He replied finally._

"_You wouldn't know that in my house. The fights, the yelling, the trips to the hospital. I thought it was the way that everybody lived. When my mother killed my father, I found out that it wasn't." She could feel herself starting to break down, but at that moment it didn't matter. All that mattered was that she had finally told someone about her past, her childhood, and they hadn't turned their back on her._

_As the tears started streaming down her cheeks, she noticed how Grissom uncomfortably moved beside her. She knew he wasn't used to seeing this side of her, the weaker side, and he didn't know how to react._

_When he put an arm around her shoulders, she was too tired to process the simple act. Instead she just leaned into his semi-embrace and cried on his shoulder._

_Whether minutes or hours had passed, Sara didn't know, but finally the tears seemed to fade. Pulling away from Grissom, she wiped her eyes. _

"_Sorry for crying all over you." She apologized, putting on a small smile._

"_That's what I'm here for." He replied, looking deeply into her eyes, as if searching for more tears._

"_I'm OK now, you don't have to stay here." She attempted to stand up, but he grabbed her arm._

"_What if I want to stay?" He asked, using his free hand to brush a strand of hair from her face before caressing her still damp cheek. Sara felt her heart start to race._

"_Why... why would you want to stay?" She wondered, amazed that her voice was more than a whisper. He only smiled before pulling her closer and kissing her._

_xxxxx_

_When Sara woke up, the first thing that she noticed was that she was alone in the bed. She hadn't been when she fell asleep. Her stomach immediately dropped as she turned on the lamp on the bedside table to find what she already knew she would. An empty spot beside her. _

_Getting out of the bed, she tried to tell herself that he had just gone into the kitchen to make breakfast, or that he was watching the news on the TV. Anything to keep her mind from forming the conclusion that he had left before she woke up._

_Finding the living room empty, Sara continued to the kitchen, where the rest of her hope was destroyed. He wasn't there. Of course he wasn't there. _

_Dropping down on a kitchen chair, she sighed deeply. She should have known that this would happen. She shold have stopped it before it went as far as it had. But she had been hopong that maybe, just maybe, he had finally overcome whatever fear it was that kept him from her._

_She had been wrong._

_xxxxx_

"_So, this is where you're hiding?" Sara tried to joke, taking a step into Grissom's office. He looked up at her briefly before returning to his notes._

"_I'm not hiding." He replied._

"_I was kidding." Sara said. "I just figured, after the way you took off before, you wouldn't really want to see me."_

"_I'm sorry, I just... sorry." He didn't look up from the case file._

"_I think we probably need to talk about this." Sara stated._

"_There's nothing to talk about." He told her, and Sara felt her stomach drop even more._

"_Are you just going to act like nothing happened?" She wondered, and he finally looked up._

"_It's for the best, Sara." He said._

"_The best for who?" She demanded. "As much as you don't want to think about it, something did happen, and we do need to talk about it, if we're going to work together we have to..."_

"_It was a mistake." He interrupted her. "It was a mistake and it shouldn't have happened." Sara just stood there dumbstruck for a moment, trying to process what he had just said._

"_OK." She nodded, feeling tears rise in her eyes. Not wanting to give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry, she turned and left the office. He made no effort to follow her._

xxxxx

Sara sighed, shrugging the memory off. So many times she had wondered to herself what would have happened if they had never taken that step, if he had never shown up at her door that day. She wouldn't be where she was today, that was for sure. She would probably still be in Vegas, trying to make Grissom notice her.

In many ways, that life might be easier than the one she lived now. But she wouldn't go back and change anything if she could.

She still remembered the look on his face when she told him she was leaving, two months after that day. At first, he looked like he didn't believe her, like he thought she was joking. When he realized that she wasn't, he had looked... not hurt, but... disappointed, that's it. Like she hadn't lived up to his expectations. In his eyes, she had let him down. If only he knew how much he had let her down too.

xxxxx

"_What's this?" Grissom asked, picking up the piece of paper Sara had dropped on his desk. She said nothing, instead waited for him to read. "Are you asking me to approve your transfer?" He looked up at her._

"_No." She shook her head, and he looked at the paper again. He must have found Ecklie's signature, because he dropped the paper._

"_Is this some sort of joke?" He wondered._

"_Of course not." She huffed, a little insulted that he would think that of her._

"_Then what is it?" _

"_I just wanted to tell you, before Ecklie made it official. There's an opening in the San Francisco crime lab." Sara explained. "I'm leaving in three weeks."_

"_What do you want from me?" He asked, and Sara knew he wasn't just talking about her leaving._

"_I want you to let me go." She replied, though it was the farthest thing from what she really wanted as you could possibly get._

"_What if I can't do that?"_

"_Then I need you to give me a reason to stay." He didn't respond for a full minute, and Sara knew that he wouldn't. "I thought so."_

_She left the office, closing the door behind her. This time she didn't expect him to follow her._

_xxxxx_

It had been so hard to leave. Not just him, but everyone. It wasn't until she had been in San Francisco a couple of weeks that she had realized that the reason she was feeling so lousy was that she had not only left a job in Vegas. She had left her friends and her home. Her life.

Luckily, she had been too busy with life and her new job (or old job, depending on how you looked at it) that she hadn't been able to dwell much on what she had left behind. She just tucked it away somewhere in the back of her mind, locked the door and threw away the key. For over three years, or the one thousand, two hundred and seventy-eight days since she had left Vegas, it had worked. Even if a day hadn't gone by when she hadn't thought about it.

She was just contemplating getting up when something, or rather, someone, landed on her stomach. Looking up at the little girl, she smiled.

"Good morning, sunshine."

"Get up, mommy, it's my birthday!"


	2. 2 You don't like cake?

**AN: Chapter two for you. I hope this explains the situation a little… Still don't own them. R & R, please!**

**2 – You don't like cake?**

"Really? Huh, I had no idea." Sara faked a confused frown.

"Yes you did!"

"Oh, right, now I remember." Sara tried to sit up in the bed, which wasn't an easy task with a recently-three-year-old on top of you.

"Do you have to go?" Shelby jumped down on the floor and put on her best puppy eyes.

"To work? Yes." Sara got up and lifted her daughter into a hug. "Birthday kiss!" Shelby obliged and planted a wet kiss on her mother's mouth. "And you have to go to daycare."

"But it's my birthday." Shelby complained as Sara put her down on the floor.

"Well, look at it this way; you'll get two parties, one at daycare with your friends there, and one here, with your friends from the park." Sara reasoned. "That sounds good, right?"

Shelby seemed to think for a moment before nodding.

"Good. Now, I have to take a shower, why don't you go watch Dora, OK?" At the mention of _Dora the explorer_, Shelby's favorite TV-show, she rushed from the room and down the hall to the living room. Sara smiled to herself as she went into the bathroom and turned the water on.

She had heard other parents talk about the instant connection, love at first sight, that you felt when seeing your child for the first time. She had always figured that they were exaggerating. Needless to say, she had been completely unprepared for the rush of love and need to protect that she had felt the second the nurse had placed Shelby in her arms. It had been the most overwhelming feeling she had ever experiences. And what amazed her even more was that it only grew every day. Thinking back to the day she had found out she was pregnant, she stripped her clothes off and got into the shower.

xxxxx

_She didn't really need to look at the pregnancy test in her hand to know that it was positive. She had known, more or less conciously, for weeks now. She had just been afraid to take the test, to have it in black and white, that she was in fact pregnant._

_Not that she wasn't happy. OK, she wasn't over the moon about the situation, but that had nothing to do with the actual pregnancy and more to do with the surrounding complications. Like the fact that Grissom had hardly looked at her in almost two months. Granted, she had done her share of avoiding him, but if she had too, she would face him. Only he would never meet her eyes._

_Sighing, she glanced down at the plastic stick before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. OK, now what?_

_She knew that she should tell him. He deserved to know, right? _

_But did he really want to?_

_He had said that what had happened had been a mistake, something he regretted. What if he thought this, a baby, was an even bigger mistake? What if he didn't want anything to do with them, then what would she do?_

_Realizing that she didn't want to find out, Sara made a decision. She would do this on her own. She would leave Vegas and her life there behind and start over somewhere else. He never had to know._

_xxxxx_

A day hadn't gone by when she didn't wonder if she had done the right thing. One thousand, two hundred and eighty-one days. She had stopped counting the times she had picked up the phone and started dialling the familiar number, only to hang up half-way through.

Turning the water off, she got a towel and stepped out of the shower.

She had made a clean break, leaving everything and everyone behind. Nick had tried to stay in touch for a while, but he had given up after she didn't return his calls and only answered his e-mails very shortly. He had sent her a Christmas card last year, but that was about it. The others... she couldn't blame them. She hadn't given them a reason as to why she suddenly took off, and she hadn't made any efforts to stay in touch.

It had just been easier that way. If she didn't talk to any of them, then she wouldn't break down and reveal everything. Which she knew she couldn't.

Getting dressed quickly, she went into the kitchen where she got a box of whaffles out of the freezer. Shelby loved chocolate-chip whaffles, but Sara didn't want her eating too much junk food, so the whaffles only came out on special occasions. Popping two into the toaster, she started a pot of coffee for herself.

"Mommy, why is Boots blue?" Shelby asked, the scent of the whaffles drawing her into the kitchen. "He doesn't look like a monkey."

"That's because he's a cartoon, baby. He's not a real monkey. It's like with Nemo, he's not a real fish either." Sara explained.

"OK." Shelby seemed satisfied with that explanation.

Sometimes it amazed Sara that her kid could be so smart. Sure, she herself wasn't exactly stupid, but Shelby got her intelect from her father. She was only three, but she was well ahead of other kids her age. The manager at her daycare center said that mentally and verbally, Shelby was on the same level as five and six-year-olds.

She had started walking when she was only eight months old, and said her first word, 'mama', when she was ten months. By her second birthday, she was talking in simple sentences, and now, a year later, she was pretty much fluent.

"Do you want syrup with the whaffles?" Sara asked, putting a plate of whaffles down on the table, and Shelby nodded.

"Can I have chocolate milk too?" She wondered, and Sara had to suppress a giggle. Shelby loved everything involving chocolate.

"Your wish is my command." She made a deep bow, and Shelby giggled.

"You're funny, mommy!"

xxxxx

"As I live and breath, it's Sara Sidle!" Sara felt a smile spread on her face as she turned around at the voice.

"Well, well, well." She looked him up and down. "If it isn't Nick Stokes. Long time no see."

"No fault of mine." He only sounded a little accusing, and Sara offered him an apologetic smile.

"I know, I was a jerk. I had good reason, though."

"Sure you did." Nick nodded. "Care to share?"

Sara looked around the lab, which was pretty much deserted, except for two lab techs. She motioned for Nick to follow her outside, and they went into the empty break room.

"Can I get a proper hello now?" She wondered, and Nick obliged, pulling her into a crushing bear hug.

"I've missed you, girl." He mumbled.

"Missed you too. More than you know." Sara had to struggle to keep her voice light, as she felt a lump in her throat.

"So why'd you leave?" Nick asked, pulling back.

"You don't beat around the bush, do you?" Sara managed a small laugh, sitting down on a couch.

"Don't have all day."

"I had to." She started. "I needed to get out of there, had to move on. I couldn't do that there."

"Grissom?" Nick assumed.

"How much has he said?" Sara asked.

"Since you left, not much." Nick replied. "He's pretty much been keeping to himself, not really talking to anyone. We just assumed something happened with you two."

"Yeah, well..." Sara hesitated as to what she could say without revealing too much. "Let's just say he finally pushed me over the edge to where I realized that I couldn't spend my life waiting for him to decide what the hell he wanted."

"I get that." Nick nodded. "I'm personally surprised you lasted as long as you did."

"Thanks for the confidence!" Sara playfully slapped him on the arm.

"So, you weren't surprised to see me, were you?" He changed the subject.

"Not really." Sara admitted.

"Keeping an eye on the conference?" Nick wondered.

"Just on the participants." Sara replied.

There was a forensic science conference in San Francisco that week, and as soon as she had heard, Sara had called the coordinator to find out who would be attending from the Las Vegas crime lab.

"So, Cath's not with you?" She now asked.

"She had some lecture she wanted to go to, said she'd stop by later." Nick told her.

"OK. So tell me what's been going on since I left?"

xxxxx

"Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Shelby, Happy Birthday to you!" The grown ups in the room sang, as the kids tried to keep up.

"Blow out the candles, baby." Sara encouraged, and Shelby blew for all she was worth, effectively putting out the three candles on the cake shaped like a teddy-bear on the table. Everyone cheered.

"OK, plates this way!" Sara started cutting the cake, handing pieces to the kids and their parents. When everyone had finished eating, it was time for presents.

"I want this one first!" Shelby announced, grabbing a big present from the small pile in front of her as the door bell rang.

"You start opening, I'll get the door." Sara said, wondering who it could be. Everyone invited to the party was already there.

Opening the front door, she found herself face to face with Catherine.

"Hey!" The older woman greeted.

"Cath, hi." Sara replied, glancing behind her. "What are you doing here? How did you find out where I live?"

"I'm a CSI." Catherine joked. "No, I went down to the lab and asked for you, and the guy at the front desk gave me your address."

"Oh, OK." Sara was desperately trying to figure out a way to get rid of Catherine without making a scene.

"Aren't you going to let me in?" Catherine wondered, frowning.

"Sure, I just..."

"Mommy, mommy, look what I got!" Shelby came running to the door, holding up a Barbie doll with a cowboy outfit.

"That's great, baby. Why don't you go finish opening the presents, I'll be there in a minute."

"OK." Shelby was about to leave when she spotted Catherine. "Hi. Are you coming to my party too?"

"Can I?" Catherine asked, and Shelby nodded vigorosuly. "Even if I didn't bring a present?"

"That's OK." Shelby said. "But we already had cake."

"I don't really like cake anyway." Catherine revealed, and Shelby's eyes grew wide.

"You don't like cake?" She asked, as if it was completely impossible for her to imagine someone not liking cake.

"Nope. But I would love to see the rest of your presents."

"OK." Shelby headed back to the living room, and Sara opened the door so Catherine could enter the apartment.

"I'm guessing that was Shelby?" Catherine assumed as she stepped into the apartment.

"How did you..."

"That guy at the lab told me you had left early." Catherine interrupted. "I said that we couldn't be talking about the same person, the Sara Sidle I know would never leave work early. He said that that was probably true, but that today was Shelby's birthday."

"Oh." Sara kicked herself mentally for not thinking of the possibility that Catherine would stop by the lab after she left.

"So?" The older woman raised her eyebrows in a questioning look.

"Later."


	3. 3 Water under the bridge

**3 – Water under the bridge**

"So?" Catherine repeated a few hours later as Sara came into the living room.

After the party was over, Catherine had offered to clean up while Sara put Shelby to bed. It had taken two bedtime stories, but the little girl was finally asleep.

"I guess you want an explanation?" Sara stated, sitting down on the couch. Catherine joined her.

"I always figured something had happened, for you to up and leave like that. I even tried asking Gil about it one time, but he practically bit my head off." Catherine chuckled a little.

"He's not one to talk about personal stuff, is he?" Sara noted.

"Far from it." Catherine agreed. "So, what did happen? I don't need details, I still remember how it works. But what made him change his mind?"

"He didn't, not really." Sara sighed. "I guess you could call it a spur of the moment kind of thing. Or maybe heat of the moment."

"OK." Catherine nodded.

"It was when I got suspended, remember, when I blew up at you and Ecklie?" Sara said.

"Do I? I don't know if I've ever been that mad." Catherine took the edge off her words by smiling.

"You were right, though. I did take a personal interest in that case, and all cases concerning domestic abuse." Sara stated. "I shouldn't have said the things I said, and I'm sorry."

"Long time ago." Catherine shrugged. "And you were probably right, anyway."

"Doesn't really matter now."

"Water under the bridge." Catherine offered.

"OK, back to the story." Sara started. "So he came by, after shift, wanting to 'check up on me', that was the way he put it." She looked down at her hands, trying to figure out how much she wanted to reveal.

"You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to." Catherine told her softly.

"I know." Sara shot her a grateful smile. "Thanks. Anyway, we were talking, and suddenly I found myself telling him about my past, my childhood, my parents, everything I had fought to keep bottled up inside for years. And it felt good to be able to talk about it."

"It usually does." Catherine noted. She didn't know what Sara had been through as a child, but she had her suspicions.

"I guess I was really more emotionally exhausted than I thought, because I started crying. And he just held me and let me cry." Smiling a little at the memory, she continued. "After I had pulled myself together, I told him that he could leave if he wanted to. Only he didn't." Leaving the rest up to Catherine's imagination, Sara got up from the couch and went into the kitchen, getting two sodas from the fridge before returning to the living room. She handed one of the cans to Catherine before reclaiming her seat on the couch, pulling her legs up under her body.

"I'm guessing he doesn't know?" It wasn't as much a question as it was a statement, and Sara shook her head. "Why didn't you tell him?" Catherine wondered.

"You must think I'm some horrible person, keeping the fact that he has a child from him all these years." Sara replied.

"No, I think you were pushed to extreme measures." Catherine corrected. "I still think that he has the right to know, but I know you must have had your reasons."

"When I woke up, later that day, he was already gone." Sara said. "No message, not even a 'sorry' note. I know I should have expected it, but I somehow managed to believe that he had really changed his mind and wanted to give things a try."

"Maybe he just got nervous?" Catherine suggested. "The first morning after is never a very pleasant experience."

"He thought it was a mistake." Sara's voice was little more than a whisper. "I cornered him in his office, and he finally told me that it shouldn't have happened, that it was a mistake."

"Oh, sweetie, I'm sorry." The sympathy was evident in Catherine's voice as she put an arm around Sara's shoulders. She knew that Gil could be insensitive from time to time, but she never would have imagined him doing something like this. Her heart went out to the younger woman, and any doubt as to why Sara had kept Shelby a secret disappeared.

"Yeah." Sara nodded. "I figured I'd avoid him for a while, get my emotions back in control, and I'd be able to go back to the way things had been before. And then I found out I was pregnant."

"You were afraid he'd reject you again." Catherine stated.

"Not just me, that I could handle. After all, I had been doing it for years." Sara shook her head. "No, it was the fact that he would call what we had created together, our child, a mistake. I wouldn't have been able to deal with that."

"Are you sure that he would have reacted that way?" Catherine wondered.

"Honestly, no. Not anymore. I was back then, and I still don't think that he would have been thrilled." Sara sighed. "There hasn't been a day when I haven't decided that I was going to tell him. I've started dialling the number thousands of times, but I've never been able to do it."

"Do you want my opinion?" Catherine asked, and Sara nodded. "I understand why you did it, and I can't tell you if it was the right or wrong decision, only you can do that. And I don't think that he would have been exactly thrilled about the situation. Not at first, but he would have come around."

"You're probably right." Sara agreed.

"Well, there's not much to do about it now." Catherine shrugged. "You're here, and he's back in Vegas hiding from everyone and everything."

"Nick said something about that too." Sara noted, frowning. "What's been going on?"

"Ever since you left, Gil's been shutting everyone out." Catherine started. "He hands out assignments, and every now and then he processes evidence back at the lab, but he hasn't been out in the field since your last day. He hardly ever leaves his office, I've even caught him sleeping there a couple of times. I've tried talking to him, but he won't let me in. It's like he... got lost when you left. And he's too stubborn to do anything about it."

Sara gave a half-hearted laugh.

"You don't have to tell me that."

"I guess you're the one who's had to suffer the most from his pig-headedness, huh?" Catherine noted. "Except for himself, that is."

"I guess." Sara nodded.

"OK, I'm getting depressed now. On to happier topics." Catherine announced. "I want to know everything about Shelby!"

"I wouldn't know where to start." Sara said.

"She looks just like you, you know." Catherine stated.

"Everyone says that." Sara smiled a little.

"Is that a relief?" Catherine wondered.

"I honestly thought it would be." Sara replied. "I dreaded her looking like him, reminding me every day. But this is almost worse. I see so much of him in her, but it's not obvious to other people."

"Like what?"

"She has a thing for bugs." Sara revealed. "Especially butterflies. Only she calls them buddyflies." They both laughed at that. "And she's so smart, sometimes it scares me. Her day-care manager tells me to stimulate her mind, so I've been teaching her sign language, because of the hearing defect."

"She has trouble hearing?" Catherine wondered.

"No, but she might in the future." Sara said. "It's a genetic disease that may or may not cause hearing disability later in life. She might never have a problem, and even if she did, she would most likely be able to have surgery to fix it, but I wanted to prepare her just in case."

"That's probably a good idea." Catherine nodded.

"What else?" Sara thought for a moment. "She loves _Dora the explorer_ and Winnie the Pooh, her favorite is Eeyore, don't ask me why, I've always found him a little too depressing, myself..."

xxxxx

"Sara, there's someone at the front desk for you." Sara looked up as Paula, one of the lab techs, walked into the break room. She had just gotten back from a scene and was grabbing a cup of coffee on her way to process the evidence.

"I'll be there in a minute." She said, taking a long drink of the hot liquid before leaving the room. Finding Catherine at the front desk, she smiled. "What brings you to my neck of the woods?" She joked.

"I was just wondering if you and Shelby were free for dinner tonight? I thought I could come by with Chinese or something." Catherine suggested. "We're leaving tomorrow morning, and I want to give Shelby her birthday gift."

"You didn't have to get her anything."

"I have three years of birthdays and Christmas to make up for, so yeah, I did." Catherine smiled. "So, dinner? I also have something to discuss with you."

"We don't have anything planned, so sure." Sara agreed. "Seven OK for you?"

"That's great, gives me time to pack before. I'll see you then."

xxxxx

"Do you want to say thank you to Catherine again before you go to bed?" Sara asked.

"Thank you for the doll." Shelby said, looking down at her feet. She was very tired, and when she was tired she got shy.

"You're welcome, I'm glad you like her." Catherine replied.

"Go get your PJ's, I'll be there in a minute." Sara told her daughter, and Shelby nodded. Before she left the room, she made a couple of signs with her hands and Sara returned them.

"What did she say?" Catherine wondered.

"She said 'I love you mommy'." Sara translated. "She thinks of sign language as our own secret language, sort of. She uses it to tell me important things she doesn't want anyone else to hear."

"That's really sweet. She's a great kid."

"Yeah, she is." Sara agreed. "I'd better get her to bed, be back in a moment."

As Catherine sat waiting in the living room, she thought about what she was about to suggest to Sara. Looking around the cosy living room, she realized that it might not be as easy as she had first thought. It wasn't like when Gil had asked her to come to Vegas all those years ago. She couldn't just drop everything this time around. But Catherine still hoped she would at least think about it.

"She's out like a light." Sara said a few minutes later, coming back into the living room. "So what did you want to talk about?" She slumped down on the couch next to Catherine.

"You're coming back to Vegas."


	4. 4 It's time

**4 – It's time**

"What?" Sara frowned. "Did you just say what I think you did?"

"You can't tell me you haven't thought about it." Catherine challenged.

"Of course I've thought about it." Sara got up and started pacing the room. "I think about it every day. But I have a job here. I have a life, friends even."

"You had that in Vegas before you left too." Catherine stated. "You still have us."

"I know." Sara stopped pacing and sat down in an armchair. Leaning her head in her hands, she appeared to be in deep thought.

"There's an opening at the lab." Catherine revealed. Sara looked up.

"No, there isn't."

"So you've been looking." Catherine noted. "It's not official yet. Dennis is leaving in a couple of weeks, he's gotten a position with the New York crime lab. His wife was transferred there with her company. The position will be out on Monday."

"Isn't Dennis the guy that..." Sara started.

"Took your place, yeah." Catherine cut her off.

"Grave shift with a three-year-old? I don't know." Sara shook her head.

"I've thought about that too, and I have a bunch of arguments, if you'll just hear me out." Catherine started, and Sara nodded. "OK, first of all, how much time do you get to spend with Shelby now? An hour in the morning, and three at the most when you get home?"

"Something like that." Sara agreed.

"Well, if you worked nights, you would be able to put her to bed before leaving, and you would be home by the time she woke up." Catherine reasoned. "You can get a live-in nanny, who would be there when you're at work and watch her while you're asleep, and then you'll have the whole afternoon together."

"That actually makes a lot of sense." Sara agreed. "But… I don't know."

"You can stay with me and Lindsey for a little while, until you find a place of your own. Lindsey will love looking after Shelby if you pay her a little." Catherine assured her. "She gets out from school in two weeks, and she hasn't been able to get a summer job."

"How old is Lindsey now?" Sara asked. "Sixteen?"

"Seventeen in a couple of weeks." Catherine got a sad smile on her face. "She'll be going off to college next year."

"They grow up so fast." Sara noted.

"You just wait." Catherine stated. "So. What do you say?"

"I really have to think about it." Sara said. "I can't just make the decision to up and leave like that."

"I get that." Catherine nodded. "Just let me know when you've decided."

xxxxx

"Hey, Jill, you've got a minute?" Sara asked, peeking into the dayshift supervisor, and her friend's, office.

"Sure, what's up?" Jill put a file she had been reading down on the desk.

"I'm thinking about going back to Vegas." Sara started.

"Took you long enough." Jill smiled.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sara wondered, but couldn't hide the smile on her face. Jill knew her too well.

"I had you picked for leaving within a year." Jill told her. "We actually had a bet going. Damn, I think Ben won."

"I'm very sorry to hear that." Sara said sarcastically. "I can't believe you were betting on me!"

"Sara, honey, it was only a matter of time." Jill stated. "The pull was too strong, not even you could resist that. And it's time."

"Yeah, I think it is." Sara agreed.

It was time. Time to go back, time to get her life in order. And time to finally tell him. Though she was dreading it.

xxxxx

"Hey Sara, I didn't expect to hear from you so soon." Catherine greeted. Nick looked up from the magazine he was reading.

"Really? That's great!" Catherine exclaimed into the cell phone. "Do you want me to tell the guys?"

Nick frowned. Tell the guys what?

"OK, I won't. They'll find out when they find out. But what about Nick?"

Now he was really intrigued. Why were they talking about him?

"OK, but no one else, got it." Catherine said as their flight was announced over the speakers. "Listen, we've gotta get on the plane, I'll talk to you in a couple of days, OK? Bye!"

"What was that all about?" Nick asked, as they got up and headed for the gate. "And why was my name mentioned?"

"Don't worry, it's a good thing." Catherine assured him, rummaging through her purse for the ticket.

"And…" Nick insisted, as Catherine seemed to have forgotten the conversation.

"Oh, right." Catherine handed her ticket to the woman at the gate. "But you have to promise not to tell anyone, you hear me?"

"Cross my heart and hope to die." Nick made a mock movement before handing his ticket to the woman as well.

"Sara's coming back to Vegas." Catherine revealed, walking into the corridor leading to the plane.

"You're kidding!" Nick exclaimed, following closely behind her. "How'd you manage that?"

"A little persuasion." Catherine said mysteriously.

"Why can't we tell the guys? They'll find out soon enough, anyway." Nick reasoned as they entered the plane.

"I don't know, she just said that she didn't want me to tell anyone else." Catherine shrugged, searching for her seat.

"That doesn't make any sense." Nick noted.

"It's Sara, she probably has her reasons." Catherine found their seats and quickly grabbed the one next to the window.

"And those reasons are always so well founded." Nick had a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"What do you mean?" Catherine wondered.

"I asked her why she just left like that, and she gave me this story about how she couldn't take it anymore, that Grissom finally drove her away." Nick said. "I think there's more to it."

"Huh." Catherine found a magazine in the pocket of the chair in front of her and occupied herself with it.

"You know something I don't." Nick stated.

"Look, you'll find out soon enough, but I can't tell you." Catherine started. "I promised Sara I'd let her do all the explaining."

"Fine, but that better be one hell of an explanation." Nick settled into his seat.

"Oh, it will be."

xxxxx

"Mommy, mommy, look what I made for you!" Shelby exclaimed as Sara entered the day-care center later that day.

"What have you got there?" Sara crouched down to get eye to eye with her daughter.

"It's a buddyfly!" Shelby cried, thrusting a crayon covered piece of paper in Sara's hand.

"Wow, it's pretty." Sara noted. "Let's put it on the fridge at home, OK?"

"OK." Shelby put her shoes on and Sara took her hand before saying goodbye to one of the women working at the day care center and leaving.

"Listen, kiddo, there's something I want to talk to you about." Sara started as they walked down the street. How did you explain to a three-year-old, granted, a smart three-year-old, that you were moving?

"Uh huh." Shelby nodded where she was skipping next to Sara.

"Remember the stories I've told you about the desert, and all the lights?" Sara reminded her daughter.

"Where it's always warm and never rains?" Shelby looked up at her mother.

"Well, it doesn't rain very often, not like here." Sara said. "I've been thinking about maybe going back there, would you like that?"

"Can I bring Mr. Dandelion?" Shelby asked, biting her lip. Mr. Dandelion was her stuffed lion, a toy she'd had since she was born.

"Of course you can, wherever you go, Mr. Dandelion goes too." Sara assured her.

"Good."

xxxxx

"I see you're back. I thought you weren't coming in tonight." Grissom noted as he entered the break room and found Nick and Catherine at the table along with Greg, Warrick and Dennis.

"We left early this morning, knew you'd appreciate the extra hands." Catherine explained.

"Good, good." Grissom leaned against the table. "Warrick and Dennis, a hit and run on the Strip. Catherine and Greg, DB at Treasure Island, Nick, B & E over in Henderson, think you can manage it by yourself?"

"Sure thing, boss." Nick nodded, accepting the assignment slip Grissom handed him.

"Good. I'll be in my office if anyone needs me." With that, Grissom left the break room.

"Is it just me, or was he even more drawn back than usual?" Warrick wondered, and Greg nodded his agreement.

"I was just thinking the same thing."

"He's probably just having a bad day." Catherine noted.

"He's been having a bad year." Greg stated. "No, make that three years. And we all know why."

"Just drop it guys." Catherine warned. "Greg, I'll meet you at the car in a few, OK?"

"Sure." He nodded and they all left the break room, the guys heading for the parking lot and their assignments, Catherine heading in the opposite direction, towards Grissom's office.

"Hey." He looked up at her greeting.

"Anything I can do for you?" He asked, returning to the file on his desk.

"No, I'm good." Catherine replied. "Just wanted to check that you were OK."

"I'm fine." Came his automatic response, like it had so many times in the past three years.

"Glad to hear it." Catherine turned to leave, but paused for a moment before looking over her shoulder. Grissom was still engrossed in the file. "Oh, and she's fine, by the way." With that, she walked down the corridor, feeling his eyes upon her until she rounded the corner.

**AN: Anyone interested in Grissom's reaction? You know what to do...**


	5. 5 Caught off guard

**5 – Caught off guard**

Grissom stared after Catherine for a good five minutes after she was gone. In fact, she was probably out of the building, in her car and headed for the crime scene when he finally pulled himself together and tore his eyes from the doorway she had occupied moments earlier.

Just like that, she had slipped the comment in there. And just like that, she had ripped open wounds that had taken months to heal.

After Sara had left, he had made a promise to himself. He was not going to get emotionally involved with people again, because he always ended up being hurt. That was the main reason why he had pulled himself away from his co-workers. He hadn't even let Catherine in, and they had been friends for years. But it was better that way. For him.

Pushing away the voice inside him that kept saying that it was his own fault, that he had pushed her so far away that she finally had no choice but to leave the city, and him, all together, he put all the blame on Sara. Because it was easier that way.

She should have known that they couldn't just pick up where they left off that night. He needed time to process what had happened, and so did she, whether she wanted it or not. That time quickly turned into days, then weeks, and months. And he still didn't know what to do about it. And then she left. She wasn't supposed to leave.

Then why didn't you follow her? The same little voice wondered.

Because she had made her choice. She didn't want to wait around for him anymore, and he had to accept that. But at the same time as he had promised himself not to get emotionally involved again, he had also vowed that if Sara ever came back, he wouldn't mess up again.

Only she never came back. And he never got his second chance. Or third, or whatever he was up to by now.

And he still didn't know what to do about it.

xxxxx

"Gil." Ecklie acknowledged as he entered the break room at the start of shift. Of course, Grissom was still there. He wondered if the other man ever went home. Well, that might just change in the not too distant future.

Conrad Ecklie may be insensitive to the people around him, but he still picked up on most of what was going on in the lab. And he had noticed Grissom's behaviour over the past three or so years, since Sidle left. He was also pretty sure that he knew what had led up to her leaving. After all, he had access to her personal file from the San Francisco crime lab, even if that file hadn't accompanied her application for the position opening up in a couple of weeks, like it normally would. He hadn't expected it too, seeing as it contained some information that he assumed she wanted to keep private for now. He also had a pretty good idea that Grissom knew nothing about it. Far be it for him to let the secret out of the bag. It would be more fun to watch the interaction between the two when she came back, anyway.

"Conrad." Grissom finally looked up from the file he had been reading when Ecklie entered the room. "What can I do for you?"

"I just thought I'd drop by and let you know that I've found a replacement for Dennis. She'll be here in two weeks." Ecklie said, and Grissom raised an eyebrow.

"Well, it's about time." He replied. "I was starting to wonder."

"Don't worry, I have your back." Ecklie tried to suppress the sarcasm in his voice, but it came out anyway.

"I'm sure you do." Grissom huffed. "So, do you have her file? I would like to get acquainted with the newest addition to the lab **before** she gets here."

"No introductions will be necessary." Ecklie dropped the already approved application on the table between them and watched as Grissom read it. He saw the surprise in the other man's eyes as he spotted the name. Satisfied with his input, he left the room.

xxxxx

Grissom only stared at the paper in front of him, not noticing Ecklie leave the room. His eyes couldn't seem to leave the name at the top of the paper.

_Sara Sidle._

She was coming back.

Suddenly, he pulled himself out of the semi trance the surprise had put him in, and rushed out of the break room. He was pretty sure Catherine hadn't gone home yet, she had mentioned something about waiting for DNA results.

Sure enough, he found her in Trace where she and Nick were arguing about something or other.

"You knew, didn't you?" He stated as he entered the room. Both Catherine and Nick looked up at his words.

"Knew what?" Catherine wondered, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Don't play dumb, it doesn't suit you." He thrust the paper at her, and she took it from him.

"I guess it's official, then." Was her only reply as she handed the paper back to him.

"So you did know." He concluded. "Why wouldn't you tell me?"

"It wasn't final until a few days ago." Catherine defended herself. "And besides, she didn't want anyone else to know."

"Didn't want anyone… Damn it, Catherine!" He slammed his fist against the table, hardly noticing the dull pain the action caused in his hand. "I need to know these things."

"Why? So you can run away from her? Or what?" Catherine questioned.

"No, I just… I need to be prepared, I can't be caught off guard by Ecklie like that." Grissom slumped down on a chair, seemingly out of energy.

"Look, boss, we're sorry." Nick said. "She asked us not to tell anyone."

"You knew too?" Grissom asked, before nodding to himself as realization hit him. "Of course, the seminar."

"I had to tell him, he was right there when she called." Catherine explained. "Look, I'm sorry, but her not wanting anyone to know is really something you need to talk to her about when she gets back."

"I know. I'm sorry I lashed out on you like that." Grissom apologized.

"It's better than acting like you don't care." Catherine muttered.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He wondered.

"Oh, don't give me that!" Catherine huffed. "You've been closing yourself off from all of us since she left, not giving crap about what was going on around you."

"Catherine, just… don't." He sighed.

"No, I think I will." She continued. "We've put up with your behaviour for long enough now. It's about time you crawled out of that shell and started living again. And you can start with Sara." With that, she left the room.

"Are you going to go off on me too?" Grissom wondered, looking at Nick.

"No, I like having a job." Nick replied. "But I would like to say this. The girl deserves a break." With a pointed look, he followed Catherine, leaving Grissom alone with his thoughts.

He knew Catherine was right, of course. He had been distant since Sara left, had been pulling away from the people he considered his friends. Maybe he should talk to Catherine, explain why he had been acting like he had. But then he would have to tell her what had happened before Sara left, and he wasn't sure he wanted to do that.

Sighing again, he left the room and went into his office where he slumped down in the chair.

He had promised himself that he wouldn't mess up again if Sara ever came back. Now that she was, was he prepared to keep that promise to himself?

Yes, he realized. He had spent too much time loving her from afar, and too much time missing her to death, to mess up this chance. If only she would have him.

xxxxx

"_He knows."_ Was the first thing Catherine said when Sara picked up the phone.

"Knows what exactly?" Sara asked, feeling panic rise in her chest. She had asked Jill not to send her file to Vegas, because she didn't want him finding out about Shelby from a piece of paper. But maybe she still had.

"_Oh, no, not that."_ Catherine assured her. _"He knows you're coming back, and he's not happy."_

"He doesn't want me to come back." Sara stated, her heart dropping into her stomach.

"_No, he's mostly pissed at me for not telling him."_ Catherine explained. _"I think that was the first time I've seen him show any emotion since you left."_

"Is that a good thing?" Sara wondered.

"_I hope so, I really do."_


	6. 6 Home again

AN: First I would like to apologize for not updating in a while. Things have been pretty hectic; I've been working way too much, trying to keep up with my studies on the little spare time I have, and, on top of everything, moved back into my parents place. Anyway, here's the next chapter. It hasn't been beta'd, so any mistakes are mine. I hope you like it!

**6 – Home again**

"What's that?" Shelby asked as they passed the Eiffel Tower, or, more accurately, the replica.

"That's a copy, but a much smaller one, of a big monument in France." Sara told her, and Shelby nodded like she knew exactly what her mother was talking about.

"Why is it here?" She continued, and Sara pondered the question for a moment. Why was there a replica of the Eiffel Tower in Las Vegas? And all the other copies of great sights around the world, what were they doing in Sin City?

"I'm not sure." She stated after a moment. "Maybe someone wanted to be able to see it, but they couldn't go to France, so they built another one here."

"OK." Shelby returned to looking out the cab window. After a moment, she apparently got bored. "Are we there yet?" She said in a whining voice, and Sara chuckled, looking out the window to see where they were. At that moment, the cab turned onto Catherine's street.

"We're here." She told Shelby, as the cab stopped outside Catherine's house.

"Yay!" Shelby exclaimed, reaching for the door handle, but Sara was quick enough and caught her before she had the chance to jump out of the car.

"Hold it!" She said firmly, and Shelby froze. "There are cars on your side, you'll have to scoot over and get out through this door." She pulled Shelby along as she got out of the car and onto the pavement.

"Hey guys, you made it." Sara looked up to find Catherine a few feet away, having seen the cab pull up from the window.

"Hey, Catherine." Sara greeted, holding onto Shelby's hand as she grabbed one of her suitcases from the trunk with the other. The cab driver was kind enough to help her with the rest, putting the two bags down on the sidewalk. She handed him a bill and he drove away.

"Was the flight OK?" Catherine asked, grabbing two bags and heading for the house. Sara followed with Shelby and the last suitcase.

"As OK as it can be with an over-excited kid." Sara shrugged, releasing Shelby's hand as Catherine closed the door behind them.

"So, Shelby, do you like Vegas so far?" Catherine crouched down to get on eye-level with Shelby. The little girl nodded a little before moving closer to Sara and hugging her leg.

"Tired, baby?" Sara ruffled Shelby's hair a little.

"Mmmhmm." Shelby mumbled in response, the excitement of the day having gotten to her, and Sara pulled her into her arms.

"Can I put her down somewhere?" She asked Catherine.

"Sure, we've gotten the guest room all ready for you." Catherine lead the way down a hallway to the last door. "Will this be OK?"

"This is more than OK, Cath." Sara said, looking at the room. There was a single bed against one wall, and the rest of the room was filled with a children size bed, a dresser and a desk. "You didn't have to get her a bed, you know."

"Well, you told me that you wouldn't bring any furniture from San Francisco, I figured she'd need a new bed anyway." Catherine shrugged. "Don't worry, you can buy it from me."

"In that case, thank you." Sara offered Catherine a smile before walking into the room and putting Shelby, who was now asleep, down on the bed.

"There's a big closet over there." Catherine said, pointing to a door. "But I'm afraid you'll have to share a bathroom with Linds."

"That's OK, no problem." Sara told her as they left the room to let Shelby sleep. "Where is Lindsey?"

"Hell if I know." Catherine sighed. "The mall, or possibly the local pool. If what she tells me has any semblance of truth in it."

"It can't be that bad." Sara replied, following Catherine into the living room.

"I guess it could be a lot worse." Catherine agreed. "She hasn't brought up the tattoo again, hasn't come home drunk yet, and to my knowledge, none of her body parts have additional holes in them, so that's good."

"I can't wait for Shelby to get older." Sara said sarcastically. "It sounds like a lot of fun."

"Oh, it's not all bad." Catherine hurried to assured her. "We get along a lot better now than we did a few years ago. I guess most of her rebellious phase is over, thank God."

"That's good."

"Yeah." Catherine nodded. "But I have to tell you, I'm glad you guys will be here for a while, now she knows she has to come home every night."

"Are you sure she's OK with looking after Shelby?" Sara asked for the fiftieth time since Lindsey had agreed to watch Shelby while Sara and Catherine worked. "I mean, she must have better things to do, she is sixteen."

"Believe it or not, there actually isn't much to do in Vegas when you're under twenty-one. And since I confiscated her fake ID last summer..." Catherine shrugged. "As long as she gets either Friday or Saturday off every week, which won't be a problem, she's fine."

"OK, just checking." Sara replied.

"Well, you can relax." Catherine assured her. "Besides, I'm sure you'll have plenty of offers to baby-sit once the guys meet Shelby."

"Yeah." Sara agreed absentmindedly, her gaze escaping out the window for a moment.

"Sorry, sore subject?" Catherine wondered.

"A little, I guess." Sara shrugged. "There's no way they won't be at least a little pissed with me for not telling them, is there?"

"I'd have to say no." Catherine offered a smile. "But when they see that adorable little girl of yours, all will be forgiven."

"You think so?" Sara asked, insecurity audible in her voice.

"Of course." Catherine promised. "Look, the guys love you, you have to know that, and they will love Shelby too. They were upset when you left, mostly because they didn't understand why, and they are all thrilled that you're coming back."

"All of them?" Sara asked, leaving the un-spoken name hanging in the air between them.

"All of them." Catherine repeated, nodding. "I mean, at least I think he's excited to see you. I'm not as good at reading him as I used to be, but he's been a lot more accessible over the past week, even taking part in the everyday work at the lab for the first time since you left."

Sara considered Catherine's words for a moment. She hoped the other woman was right, that he would be happy to see her. At least for a little while…

"How do you think he'll take it?" She asked after a moment.

"I honestly don't know." Catherine sighed. "I mean, it'll be a shock, but you must have figured that out by yourself. He won't be happy that you didn't tell him, that's for sure, but other than that… it could really go either way."

"Either way how?" Sara asked.

"Either he'll be furious, or he'll understand." Catherine explained. "No matter how he reacts initially, I think he'll do the right thing."

"Yeah, I'm not doubting that." Sara replied. "I'm just not sure if I can deal with having him in my life if he never forgives me."

"Well, that's just the risk that you'll have to take." Catherine concluded. "Not to sound harsh or anything."

"I know." Sara offered a crooked smile.

"So, when are you going to talk to him?" Catherine asked.

"I was actually thinking about going over there later today, after Shelby wakes up. If you're OK with watching her for an hour or so."

"Sure, no problem." Catherine replied. "Lindsey should be home pretty soon, they can get to know each other while I get dinner ready."

"Thanks, that would be great. I want to talk to him before the rumour mill has a chance to get started." Sara said. "So, distract me for a while. What's new at the lab?"

They spent the next hour and a half talking about everything that had changed at the lab since Sara had left.

xxxxx

Sara took another deep breath, and raised her hand to knock on the door in front of her for the fourth time. She had been standing outside Grissom's townhouse for ten minutes, trying to work up the courage to actually knock on the door. Once again, she chickened out and lowered her fist.

Taking a step back, she leaned her head back and looked up at the sky.

"You can do this." She mumbled encouragingly, losing herself in the endless blue sky of Vegas for a moment. "Just knock on the door. It's easy. Knock on the door. Knock. On. The. Door."

Taking another breath, she looked at her watch. She really had to get herself together soon; shift was starting in less than two hours. With a determined look on her face, she knocked on the door before she had a chance to change her mind again. Holding her breath, she waited for some sign that he was actually in there.

After two minutes – which felt more like two hours – without a sound, she decided that he wasn't home. He was probably at the lab already; Catherine had said that he spent a lot of time there these days. Feeling satisfied that she had at least tried, she turned to walk to Catherine's car, which she had borrowed, when she heard the lock turn and the door open behind her.

"Sara?" He sounded surprised, and maybe a little… glad to see her? She didn't dare develop that thought as she turned to face him.

"Hey." She said, surprised and relieved that her voice didn't give away how nervous she really was.

He looked the same as when she had left, a little thinner maybe. He was wearing a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt, and she realized that she must have woken him up.

"You were asleep, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." She quickly apologized. "I can just come back later, tomorrow maybe."

"No, I was just getting up anyway." He assured her. "Do you want to come in?"

"Thanks." She offered a weak smile and walked past him into the house. He closed the door behind them and they stood there in silence for a moment, carefully not looking at each other. He was the first to pull out of it, motioning for her to follow him into the living room.

"I didn't think you would be here until next week." He noted, gesturing to her to sit down on the couch opposite the armchair that he had chosen himself.

"I'm not starting work until next Monday, but I wanted to get settled before." Sara explained, fidgeting with her hands in her lap. "So, how have you been?"

"Good, I've kept busy with work." He replied.

"Good, that's good." She nodded, looking at the floor. An uncomfortable silence settled over the room.

"This is stupid." Grissom said after a few minutes, breaking the silence. "We used to be able to talk, I don't want things to be awkward."

"I know, I guess I'm just a little nervous about coming back here, how people will react." Sara replied. "I know that I hurt a lot of people when I left the way I did."

"Yeah." He nodded, and from the look in his eyes, Sara realized that he had been one of those people, something she hadn't really considered.

"I'm sorry." She half whispered, and he shook his head.

"It's not your fault, I understand why you left." He said. "I was a real jerk after... what happened, and I'm sorry about that." He looked up at her.

"It's OK." She assured him, meeting his eyes for the first time. She was not completely surprised to find that he still took her breath away.

"No, it's not." He replied. "It's far from OK, but there's really nothing I can do about that now."

"I guess not." She agreed.

"Maybe we can try to… start over?" He suggested, and for a moment she let herself believe that he was talking about something more than friendship.

"I'd like that." She smiled, and he returned it. "But there's actually something I need to talk to you about."

"OK?"

"There was another reason why I left so suddenly back then." She started, searching her brain for the little speech she had prepared on the drive over. She should have written it down, because she couldn't remember a thing now. "But before I say anything, I want you to know that I am sorry. I didn't have any right to do what I did, but I only did what I thought was best for everyone involved. I need you to remember that, even if you never want to talk to me again."

"Why wouldn't I?" He wondered, a look of confusion on his face.

"Just… listen, OK?" He nodded, and she took a deep breath before continuing. "The day I put in for the transfer to San Francisco, I had just found out that I was pregnant." She glanced up at him, trying to decipher from the look on his face how he was reacting to the news, but his blank expression gave nothing away. "I was afraid that you wouldn't want anything to do with me or the baby, so I decided that I would do it on my own. And we've been doing OK in Frisco. But then Nick and Catherine showed up, and I guess she made me realize that I couldn't run from my past anymore. That I didn't want to."

She looked up at him again, but his eyes were focused on something on the floor. Closing her eyes against the tears that were threatening to fall, she breathed deeply.

"There hasn't been a day that I haven't picked up the phone." She added quietly.

"But you didn't call." He noted, still not looking at her, his voice hard.

"No, I didn't." She replied. "You have every right to be furious with me, I didn't really expect anything else." She opened her purse and rummaged through it, finding a picture of Shelby that she had brought to give him. It had been taken at the birthday party a few weeks earlier. Carefully, she placed the photo on the table in front of him before standing up. "Just, please don't take it out on Shelby. None of this is her fault."

She walked through the living room and into the hallway, where she paused for a moment, wiping away the few tears that had escaped her eyes. As she reached out to open the door, she felt his eyes on her.

"Don't go."


End file.
